Agaku Israel T, Olutola Bukola G, Adisa Akinyele O, Obadan Enihomo M, Vardavas Constantine I
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Global Tobacco Control, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Prev Med. 2015 Mar;72:83-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.12.037. Epub 2015 Jan 6.
We assessed the prevalence of dental disease among U.S. children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, as well as the impact of unmet dental needs on school absenteeism because of illness/injury within the past 12 months.
Data were from the 2011/2012 National Survey of Children's Health (n=65,680). Unmet dental need was defined as lack of access to appropriate and timely preventive or therapeutic dental healthcare when needed within the past 12 months. The impact of unmet dental needs on school absenteeism was measured using a multivariate generalized linear model with Poisson probability distribution (p<0.05).
Within the past 12 months, 21.8% (10.8 million) of all U.S. children and adolescents aged 6-17 years had "a toothache, decayed teeth, or unfilled cavities." Of all U.S. children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, 15.8% (7.8 million) reported any unmet dental need (i.e., preventive and/or therapeutic dental need) within the past 12 months. The mean number of days of school absence because of illness/injury was higher among students with an unmet therapeutic dental need in the presence of a dental condition compared to those reporting no unmet dental need (β=0.25; p<0.001).
Enhanced and sustained efforts are needed to increase access to dental services among underserved U.S. children and adolescents.
我们评估了美国6至17岁儿童和青少年的牙科疾病患病率，以及过去12个月内未满足的牙科需求对因病/伤缺课的影响。
数据来自2011/2012年全国儿童健康调查（n = 65,680）。未满足的牙科需求定义为在过去12个月内需要时无法获得适当和及时的预防性或治疗性牙科保健。使用具有泊松概率分布的多元广义线性模型（p < 0.05）来衡量未满足的牙科需求对缺课的影响。
在过去12个月内，所有6至17岁的美国儿童和青少年中有21.8%（1080万）患有“牙痛、龋齿或未填补的龋洞”。在所有6至17岁的美国儿童和青少年中，15.8%（780万）报告在过去12个月内有任何未满足的牙科需求（即预防性和/或治疗性牙科需求）。与那些报告没有未满足牙科需求的学生相比，在存在牙科疾病的情况下，有未满足治疗性牙科需求的学生因疾病/受伤缺课的平均天数更高（β = 0.25；p < 0.001）。
需要加强和持续努力，以增加美国服务不足的儿童和青少年获得牙科服务的机会。
